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Encinitas will contribute $75,000 to restart a community grant program for small businesses facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Council unanimously decided Wednesday.
Mayor Catherine Blakespear said the city’s small businesses are desperate for help right now, and Councilman Tony Kranz said the state’s new restrictions on business activity are likely to linger given the soaring number of virus cases in California in recent days.
“It’s having significant impacts again and I do expect it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.
Facing a rapidly shrinking number of unoccupied hospital beds in California due to rising coronavirus case numbers, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced the state’s strictest lockdown measures since the early days of the pandemic. In San Diego County, new restrictions have shut down outdoor restaurant dining and hair salons, and restricted capacity in retail stores to 20 percent.